BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — The Bluefield State University Board of Governors will soon be posting the job of interim president after its decision late last month to firer former president Darrin Martin.
The BOG held a special meeting Monday afternoon.
BOG Chairman Charlie Cole said the university will post three key jobs in the near future.
“We’ll be posting for a CFO (chief financial officer), an accountant and an interim president,” Cole said.
BOG Vice-Chairman Cathy Deeb is currently serving as BSU’s unpaid acting president.
Deeb said staffers with the state Higher Education Policy Commission visited campus Monday to give guidance with finances.
“We’re working with all of the finances, trying to find out where we are. We are making headway on that,” Deeb said.
The BOG voted on Aug. 27 to reverse its earlier decision and not renew Martin’s contract. The board cited several reasons for the change including:
– being “significantly behind paying its obligations” to the tune of at least $1.5 million.
– the board being unable to “retain reliable evidence” about unpaid bills, outstanding debts, actual balances, or finances of the institution.
– the BOG said it had received “mixed and conflicting numbers” from Martin.
– The board learned Bluefield State was the “only school in the state” that didn’t submit its annual state appropriation request on time, which was $7 million last year.
– The board didn’t get notified about “potentially serious violations of NCAA rules,” which led to an emergency meeting the prior week
– when the board went to talk with Martin after an executive session during the emergency meeting, “the president had left and was not available to speak to the board.”
Cole said Monday he has received word from somebody interested in being interim president but the job hasn’t yet been posted.